1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a musical instrument having strings which are plucked, bowed or struck, comprising a device for adjusting and hooking on the strings. A device of this kind is generally called a "bridge-tailpiece assembly". The invention is more particularly concerned with a bridge-tailpiece assembly intended for electric guitars and, in particular, for instruments with six or four strings.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In the known manner, a bridge-tailpiece assembly has more than one function: on the one hand, it is used to hook on the strings and to adjust their position relative to the body of the instrument; on the other hand, it serves to transmit energy generated by the vibration of the string to the body of the instrument. In currently known bridge-tailpiece assemblies, transmission of energy from the string to the body of the instrument is relatively inefficient; damping of the vibration occurs, altering the output of the instrument from the point of view of the length of the note and also its purity. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,031,799 describes a bridge-tailpiece assembly in which each string passes over a drum whose height relative to the plate of the bridge-tailpiece assembly is adjusted by means of screws, the drum being maintained in position relative to the plate by means of a spring; the string is hooked onto the body and rests in a channel formed in the outside surface of the corresponding drum. In this embodiment, the screws for adjusting the position of the drums are used to adjust the distance between the string and the body to the required value, but the string is in only very limited contact with the drum which supports it, resulting in poor musical output.
An objective of the invention is to propose a bridge-tailpiece assembly eliminating the vibration damping phenomenon and therefore improving the transmission of vibrational energy from the string to the body of the instrument.